JAMMIKUNTA

APART FROM those in their late fifties and over, I wonder how many in Madras, leave alone Tamil Nadu, remember Potti Sriramulu the martyr. Since a Potti Sriramulu Memorial Building is being raised in Mylapore, for which a foundation stone was laid recently, it would seem opportune to recall those unhappy events of 1952 that led to violence, martyrdom and, above all, to the acceptance of linguistic States. In fact, that memorial building could well be a memorial to that much-debated concept that is now part of the Indian reality. The issue that came to a boil that December in 1952 was not the formation of Andhra Pradesh but the fate of Madras City. Pointing out that Prime Minister Nehru had made it clear that the demand for Andhra could not be conceded unless the State-to-be's claim for Madras City was withdrawn, The Hindu commented, "As Mr. Nehru has justly said, the terrible ordeal to which a good man has, in pursuance of his own convictions, submitted himself, cannot but mov...

The battle for Andhra BY RAMACHANDRA GUHA Potti Sriramulu IN December 1950, Vallabhbhai Patel died. The next September, Jawaharlal Nehru assumed the office of Congress president, in addition to that of Prime Minister of India. In both party and government he was paramount. It was to stay that way for the next decade. Be it non-alignment or centralised planning, the policy that Nehru wanted was generally adopted by the Congress, and by the Government of India as well. But there were exceptions. One such was the creation of linguistic states. In private, Nehru deplored the idea. In public, he said he would agree to their creation only if there was consensus among all parties concerned. However, most Congressmen who spoke Marathi insisted on a separate Maharashtra State. Party members who claimed Gujarati as a mother tongue wanted likewise to have a province of their own. Similar were the aspirations of Congressmen who spoke Kannada, Malayalam, or Oriya. These people all wanted the creat...

1. Online edition of India's National NewspaperSaturday, Dec 14, 2002 Appeal to Potti Sriramulu Hyderabad's Chief Minister, Mr. B. Ramakrishna Rao sent a telegram to Mr. Sriramulu, fasting in Madras. It read, "Your fast is causing much anxiety and distress in the whole country. Panditji (Jawaharlal Nehru) is prepared to constitute a Boundary Commission immediately and has given an assurance of other steps. I earnestly entreat you to break your fast, and give all leaders a fair opportunity." 2 This Day That Age dated December 17, 1952: Fasting Sriramulu passes away Mr. Potti Sriramulu (51), on a fast unto death from October 19 pressing for the immediate forming of a separate Province for the Andhra people, died in Madras on December 15, the 58th day of his ordeal. Potti Sriramulu was born in Madras City, qualifying himself as a sanitary engineer, he took employment with the G.I.P. Railway in Bombay. After resigning his job in 1930, Sriramulu participated in the Salt S...